October 29, 2012

Hola mi Familia Y Amigos.

Wow, what a week it has been.
I could not be happier to be here in the mission. I love this work with
all my heart and I cannot express even a small part of what I feel. We
will talk more about my week and the work a little later, but first, I
am glad that all is going well. I sure do love to hear those great
"Blake" stories, ha, those two boys could not be cuter. I can't wait to
give them both a big huge hug. I am glad to hear that all is well and
mother, don't worry I got my package Tuesday and it was awesome. Thanks
so much for everything. You are the greatest Mom in the whole wide
world, but serious, I sure do love you mom.

Now
for some of the many questions to answer: Our bishop is this little tiny
guy. He has been a member for 10 years, and for 8 of those has been the
bishop, haha, he is tired. I know him very well and he is a great guy.
How many people at church is a little bit of a sad question. We have on
average 35 people at church. We are hurtin' and we have much work to
still do. Yes, Chileans celebrate Halloween, but not as much as up
there. Yes, I have been hearing from returned missionaries here and
there. I don't feel old at all, but Elder Jensen always likes to remind
me that I am getting old in the mission ha! Today he told me I was older
than half the missionaries in the mission haha. I love our new mamita,
she is so awesome. She is all about helping out the missionaries. She is
one awesome servant of the Lord. I also love my old mamita to pieces,
she is so awesome. I don't have a clue whether I am still gaining or
losing weight ha. Thank you so much for getting new insoles my mother,
and yes, I still remember to let them air out.

Alright,
a little bit about the work. WE HAVE A BAPTISM COMING UP!!!! por fin
(finally). I have been working for this forever here. A girl named
Yanara is ready to be baptized the 10th of November. We showed her the
baptismal font yesterday and she got all excited. Her whole family are
members, inactive, and we are working with all of them to help them get
back. We taught a lot this week and we are seeing a lot of miracles here
in Calle Calle. One of my favorite stories of the week though is the
following: We decided to go visit an inactive man that has one leg and
has had a lot of struggles as of late, so we go over there to visit him.
We get to his house and there was this man, like 25 years old, standing
outside his house. I asked the man if Freddy was there and he said
yeah. We went in and started talking with the member, Freddy, while his
friend, who turns out to be like his apprentice in work, was working on
fixing a welder. The member, Freddy, is super smart and he fixes all
electric things. As we talked with Freddy about his family and how life
was going, his friend who was working began to ask questions. Really
awesome questions. By the end we ended up teaching his friend whose name
is Julio. He recently moved from Argentina and talks super cool ha. Way
different than Chileans. He was really confused about why there were so
many different churches and why they all used the Bible. I pulled out
my little white board that I carry around everywhere and drew him an
example that explains the need for the Book of Mormon and how it helps
us not be confused. Julio became very intrigued and asked how he could
get this Book. I said, "well, I have one right here, take it" ha. He was
super happy and ready to just go at reading it. We set a
cita (appointment) with him for this next week. I am super excited to
see what goes down. He is super awesome. It was a small miracle that
happened this week just from the impression to visit a menos activo
(less active).

Man, I love the mission and I love
you guys so much. I am so grateful for the chance that I have to be here
and to see the Lord work his great work through me sometimes, even when
I don't know it. I hope to become an instrument in the hands of the Lord
that he can always use to bring about his great work. Many times our
impatience and stubbornness tangle up all the Lord's plans and he can't
use us to do his work and as we cry out in pain for his help. He says,
"quiet man, while I untie this knot". Many times I feel like I can do
things, but I forget that the Lord needs me to seek what He wants so
that through me He can do much greater things than I could. I hope to
always be keen and aware of the guidance of the spirit so that I can be
the Lord's hands as He moves this work forward. I sure do love you
family, and I hope that all is well. Thanks again for the package
mother. You are great. I am so thankful for my wonderful parents and all
that you have taught me and continue to teach from clear across the
world.